


Rituals

by thornsilver



Category: Noir (Anime)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-07 12:42:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16854172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thornsilver/pseuds/thornsilver
Summary: A quiet evening at home.





	Rituals

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally written for quixotic_sense and posted on LJ.

Kirika likes Paris. She is not sure if it's something in the air, or is she still surprised by the apartment and how much light it gets. Sometimes she wishes she was a stereotypical painter with a beret and a striped scarf around her neck so that she could take advantage of all the light.

Mireille is sitting behind her desk with the wrinkle between her brows that appears only when she is dealing with the Soldat business. Kirika walks into the kitchen. It is getting dark and they don't have an assassination, which means it's time for tea.

She looks through the shelves, unsure which jar to pick. She used to always buy her own, choosing flavors at random since she could not remember which ones she liked, but lately Mireille have been bringing over little brightly colored pots of the stuff. Both Rosebud and Jasmine blends were purchased by her.

Kirika picks out the Orange Pekoe blend and throws it away after making sure that Mireille is not watching. She does not want to ever taste it again, not after Chloe's visit. Chloe scares her. Not simply because she is a dangerous killer and easily a match for Kirika, but because there is something else that is wrong about the knife-thrower. Kirika did not like the way Chloe looked at Mirielle, as if Mirielle was a not particularly interesting obstacle.

Kirika decides on the Green Tea and waits for the kettle to boil. She must remember to ask Mirielle about poisons. If she had some useful things yesterday, she would not have to worry about Chloe today. 

Before yesterday, Kirika had no idea that she could kill with poisons, but as soon as she thought of it there was suddenly information in her head, pages and pages of dosages, symptoms, timing, and antidotes. It always scares Kirika when the knowledge appears like that. It makes her wonder what else she had forgotten and how dangerous it might be.

She carries steaming tea on a tray into the living room, but Mirielle does not pay attention to it until Kirika takes the cover off the pastry dish. They are not having biscuits today. Kirika bought chocolate eclairs instead.

She watches as Mirielle blows on her tea and wraps her pink lips around a teaspoon of chocolate filling. She is relieved to notice that the forehead wrinkle is gone. They don't speak. They almost never do.

After, she clears away the tray and cups, while Mirielle prepares for bed. When Kirika wanders into the bedroom, Mirielle is already wearing only the white shirt she sleeps in. Kirika picks up a brush and starts moving it though Mirielle's hair. Sometimes she thinks about the ways she could kill Mirielle from this position, but mostly she is just counting to a hundred.

When Kirika finishes cleaning out the brush and returns, Mirielle is already under the covers. Kirika slides in on her side of the bed. They have shared the bed since Mirielle brought her to Paris. After all, the apartment has only one, and it is extremely outsized. Kirika tries to remember when she started sleeping like this, touching Mirielle. She cannot. Did it happen after she was shot, or before?

Tonight Kirika spoons behind Mirielle so closely that her nose ends up in the blond hair. Mirielle stiffens for a second, and Kirika worries that she will say something to make her move away. But then Mirielle relaxes. 

Mirielle's hair smells like Mirielle’s perfume does, ridiculously feminine.

Kirika quietly drifts into sleep under the accompaniment of far-away city noises. She does not dream.


End file.
